Wanted Terrorist Calls for 'Holy War' Against Sisi

Former Egyptian commander who joined ISIS-linked jihadists calls for holy war against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Ben Ariel, 23/07/15 06:46

Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi

Reuters

One of Egypt's most wanted men, a former special forces officer turned Islamist terrorist commander, condemned President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday and called for a holy war against his government, Reuters reported.

An audio message attributed to Hisham al-Ashmawy, who security officials suspect masterminded the recent car bomb assassination of Egypt's top prosecutor, said the country is "overpowered by the new pharaoh" Sisi.

Ashmawy is part of a small but highly dangerous succession of former Egyptian army officers who have joined jihadist groups, complicating Sisi's efforts to confront what he calls an existential threat from extremism.

With their knowledge of the Arab world's biggest army and training, they pose a security threat to Egypt which faces an insurgency based in northern Sinai, noted Reuters.

"All of you must come together to confront your enemy. Do not fear them, but fear Allah if you are truly believers," said the audio message, which was carried by the monitoring group SITE.

The message, according to Reuters, was posted on July 20 on an Al-Qaeda-affiliated forum and coincided with the Eid al-Fitr holiday just marked by Muslims.

The audio message features two pictures of Ashmawy in military uniform. He is identified by the nom de guerre of Abu Omar al-Muhajir al-Masri and as Emir of the Al-Murabiteen group.

According to Reuters, Ashmawy, who has been on the run for years, formed a cell within the Sinai Province terrorist group, which has pledged allegiance to Islamic State and has claimed most of the terrorist attacks that have taken place in the restive Sinai.

In his message, Ashmawy accused Sisi "and his soldiers" of fighting "our religion" and killing "our men and women".

Sisi, who as army chief ousted Morsi following popular protests calling on him to go, has led a crackdown on terrorist groups since becoming president.

As part of the crackdown, the Egyptian army imposed a curfew on Gaza and then began building a buffer zone along the border, following two deadly attacks in El-Arish which killed dozens of soldiers. Egypt accuses Gaza’s Hamas rulers of assisting Sinai terrorists with attacks, though Hamas denies the accusations.